Ushering 2009

2008 is about to end in 11 hours and 25 minutes and 5 seconds. Oh, have to add another 1 second to align with GMT this year.

2008 is indeed an eventful year for me, it is a learning year for me. I don't mean learning academically, but more on the area of emotional and self growth.

New friends are steeping into my life and things have been good so far. My bonds with my buddies and soul mates are still going strong, although we meet so much less often now, mainly due to work and geographical distance. This in turn make our bonds even stronger.

Some buddies decided to abandon their bachelorhood and join the crowd in 2008 and I am happy for them; but guys and gals, mind you, that does not mean I endorse that your partner(s) can override the importance of our friendship. If that ever happen, dump her / him, LOL! As for myself, I have made peace with my past relationship and i am flourishing with new hopes.

Although I travelled less to overseas in 2008, I managed to have great fun and strike a balance between work and leisure. Managed to squeeze a day off from my busy work schedule to look around Tokyo during my Japan trip was really exciting and fun filled (Ahem, both clean and not so clean fun. Ha ha!). Of course, Hokkaido is beautiful as ever.

I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Beijing for the Beijing Olympics in Aug 08 and I finally set foot to The Forbidden City - which i always wanted to and have not had the chance to do so since I started travelling to China in 2005. Moreover, my last trip to China in Aug 08 could be my very last trip (for the time being). This is because work wise, i am no longer required to go to China anymore. Business there in China is in capable hands now.

Visiting Vietnam for work towards year end was rewarding with new learning about the Vietnamese and their work culture.

I finally live by myself in a new rented apartment now. I have to moved out from my old place because my housemate has gotten married and got his wife pregnant (Ha Ha! Great job, well done). The experience of living alone has been both enlightening, fun and fulfilling so far. Of course, the challenging part is paying for more bills & keeping them paid on time. In addition, I feel I am becoming more domesticated now, which is not a bad thing after all.
Moving to my new place also made me picking up new interests in home furnishing, cooking and gardening. I sincerely hope such interests, and my interest on photography will grow in 2009.

The US credit crunch affected so many people, including myself, in both of my work and lifestyle. Coping and managing the growing burdens of such economic downturn would certainly be a valuable experience and it would be something for me to reminisce for a long time.

I am pleased that I am more politically and socially aware of my country in 2008. I hope I will be able to inculcate such awareness to others, e.g. my brothers who are just too engrossed to the world of themselves and tend to be ignorant about their surroundings. All Malaysians ought to keep tabs on the affairs of the state and should not let people that runs the country abusing their power and/or resting on their laurels.

The year of 2008 ends with the passing of my granny and news about a close friends' mom having lung cancer are certainly not a great way to call year 2008 a finale. Nevertheless, death and sufferings are part of journey in life and nothing I should not be able to embrace and handle with grace.

Wishing all a prosperous and worry free new year. May the new year be filled with hopes, joy, peace, justice, good health and wealth. No more wars, discrimination, injustice and poverty to this world and let humanity comes as one (I am always hopeful of that to happen).

Year 2009 here it comes!

Christmas Eve at Singapore

On Christmas eve, I went to Singapore with the aim to see the well-renown Christmas lighting at Orchard Road. I was also hoping to feel the high spirit of Christmas atmosphere there, as I heard strangers on the street will offer warm hugs and well wishes to each other, especially when the clock strike 12.

Sadly, I have to cut my trip short and did not have the chance to feel the Christmas atmosphere there due to continuous downpours. Moreover, I was getting uneasy with the increasing number of people on the street. At one point, I was stuck in the sardine-packed crowd, inching near the entrance / exit of Orchard MRT station . Fearing for a stampede (I know, i sounded Kiasi), I decided to not to linger at Orchard road any longer, but move away to Bishan to have dinner with my friend.

Interior Christmas Decor at The Heeren.

Christmas Carol singers

Rain, Rain, Rain, but it didn't stop visitors from taking photographs of the lighting features at Orchard Road. Ahem, I was one of them!

Walking in the rain. So, we were not just bathed in lights, but also in rain!

Along the road, there were these figurines telling the story of Christmas.

Christmas tree made of sweet candies. If it was real, i would love to have a bite.

Undeniably, trees are one of the best gifts to mankind.

"... With God All Things Are Possible... Matthew 19:26" was featured as the backdrop lighting of the exterior Christmas decoration at the Tangs Shopping Center. To me, it was one of the best, if not the best that i have seen this year.

Traffic was not heavy as the street was about to be closed for the Christmas countdown event at the Orchard Road.

Let there be peace, love and well beings in the world. All human beings are created differently, we should embrace each other differences and stop all the war, discrimination and hatred.

Being Chinese, Food is an important part of our culture and I end my posting with footages of the busy kitchen scenes at Din Tai Fung, the place where i had my Christmas dinner.

Another attempt to change the stock but not the poison that boil in it

Abdullah's last-ditch reforms hit trouble
Political insiders said Abdullah tried but failed to persuade the political establishment to bite the bullet and approve the tough measures necessary to rehabilitate the judiciary, fight high level corruption, raise efficiency and keep police abuse in check.
By Baradan Kuppusamy, Asia Times Online

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has tabled two new reform bills, but not surprisingly given his impending exit, both have run into strong opposition within and outside parliament. Abdullah's hopes of forging a consensus through the two crucial bills, hoped to give him some kind of positive reform legacy before he stands down in 2009, have been rocked by the dissent.
One bill has been designed to clean up the judiciary, and provide for the independent selection of judges, while the other aims to give greater powers to the Anti-Corruption Agency. Opposition lawmakers, lawyers, retired judges and even government backbenchers all say the bills have been so watered-down that they have little bite.
The bills are expected to be passed, but without the broad support originally expected. "We are deeply disappointed," said Ambiga Sreenevasan, president of the Malaysian Bar Council, a professional body for 13,000 lawyers. "Although there are some improvements, the executive still has an overbearing presence."
Critics say that under the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill, which Abdullah tabled in parliament on December 12, the executive would continue to have undue influence in the selection process.
"Under the JAC the selection is done by a committee, some of whose members are appointed by the government," said Sreenevasan. "The bill gives power to the government to appoint or sack committee members without giving reasons."
Of the proposed nine commission members, five would be appointed directly by the government. "Politicians and others connected with the government could end up in the committee and compromise its independence," she said.
In addition, the prime minister would have unfettered power to amend provisions for the JAC two years after the bill's approval in parliament. "We are worried - this last provision is highly unusual," she added.
Currently, the chief justice draws up a list of candidates from which the prime minister can choose and submit for royal assent, which is rarely withheld. Last August a judicial inquiry concluded that the selection process was open to abuse and that politicians and businessmen had colluded with senior judges to promote individuals unfit for the bench.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) bill will give wide new powers to officials to investigate and seize records, including bank accounts. But critics say that under the bill the MACC still cannot prosecute independently, as it must seek permission from the attorney general.
"We want the MACC to be placed under parliamentary [control] and be armed with independent powers to prosecute," said veteran opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.
Abdullah has defended the bills, saying they would restore judicial confidence, fight corruption, and were a major step forward for the country. "My promise to the people is to institute reforms and I am doing just that," he told parliament when tabling the bills.
"I am fulfilling my promise of reform before I leave," he said. "Let's all close ranks for the sake of the nation."
Abdullah, who first took over as prime minister in 2003, asked his ruling United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO) earlier this month to be allowed to remain in office until March so that he could carry out the promised reforms.
Opposition lawmakers have requested a delay of at least three weeks for them to study the bills and recommend changes, but the government, which has a 32 seat majority in the 222-seat parliament, is adamant they will be passed without delay.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, while welcoming Abdullah's initiative to fight corruption and clean up the judiciary, said changes are needed to ensure that the bills are independent and free of political interference.
Anwar said anti-corruption officers must be given full discretion to charge in court anyone under investigation and found to be involved in corrupt practices, without reference to the attorney general's chambers for permission.
With the clock on his tenure ticking, Abdullah does not have the luxury of time to make changes and retable the bills. Already the focus of the political establishment, investors and the diplomatic community is on the incoming leader, Najib Tun Razak, who takes over in March, 2009 as the new prime minister.
Political insiders said Abdullah tried but failed to persuade the political establishment to bite the bullet and approve the tough measures necessary to rehabilitate the judiciary, fight high level corruption, raise efficiency and keep police abuse in check.
These are the areas Abdullah had promised to act on after winning the biggest political mandate in Malaysia's history at the 2004 general election. After failing to carry out these promised reforms, voters turned against UMNO at this year's March elections, giving the political opposition control over five of the countries 13 states.
The abrupt manner in which the two bills were introduced last week, when the current parliament session was nearing an end, sparked an uproar and fueled charges that Abdullah purposely delayed the legislation in order to catch the opposition off guard and bludgeon the bills through.
The bills' contents were not made public before they were introduced and the cloak of secrecy that enveloped their drafting has resurrected charges about the lack of transparency surrounding Abdullah's government.
To be sure, some of the clauses of the anti-corruption bill are progressive, such as its wider scope for investigation and the total anonymity promised for whistle blowers. Five "independent" committees are also to be formed to mitigate any excesses of executive authority over the commission.
Still many remain dissatisfied. "What we need is a simple, independent commission to select people of the highest integrity as judges, and for another commission to catch corrupt crooks and effectively prosecute them," said a senior lawyer.
"What we have now are convoluted systems because of numerous compromises made to satisfy political factions ... the key aims are lost in the urge to satisfy the entrenched political forces," the lawyer said. "It was a battle between the weak reformer and the strong entrenched forces. Convoluted, watered-down versions are the result."

JB Sentral - the Southern Integrated Gateway of Malaysia

Type "JB New Custom" on Google search engine and you will find the posting titled "Southern Integrated Gateway" by Wikipedia. Click on to it and you will find the following article appears. It reads as follows.
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The Southern Integrated Gateway (Malay: Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu), is a Malaysian national project involving the construction of the Johor Bahru main railway station, called JB Sentral, and a new customs, immigration and quarantine complex (CIQ) known as the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. It is named after Sultan Iskandar of Johor.

The station and complex will become the main transportation hub of Johor Bahru and southern Peninsular Malaysia. The Malaysian Public Works Department is responsible for the design and construction of this project, while Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd is the main contractor.

This megaproject is part of the Iskandar Malaysia. It was announced in February 2008 that the constructions has been completed government agencies has started moving into the complex. The complex will become fully operational on December 16, 2008.

Benefits of the project

• The project seeks to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District.
• Besides that, the regional road network will be enhanced by the linking of CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road.
• The project will also improve the transportation link between Johor Bahru and Singapore, which is urgently needed.
• This project would also attract Singaporean tourists to Johor Bahru and the rest of Johor because of the improved transportation link which increases convenience and decreases travelling time.
• This project will also complement the country's aspiration of creating a premier and modern southern gateway to Malaysia and Asia.
• The Southern Integrated Gateway is expected to reduce air pollution of the Johor Bahru city area.
• A significant reduction in sea travelling time from the eastern part to the western part of the Straits of Johor and vice-versa will indirectly promote security control at the border. This benefit is doubtful at the present because the bridge project has been stopped.

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Today is 17.12.08, the second day of Sultan Iskandar Custom, Immigration and Quarantine Complex or in short the Sultan Iskandar Complex is opened for light vehicles, i.e. motobikes, cars, vans and even buses.

Before I continue, on fairness, I have to confess that i have not use the facility myself yet. What I am going to write next is based on my limited observation and of course, feedback and comments that I gathered from many friends who have used the facility. Mind you, these feedback ain't rosy at all. I shall be objective and review the performance of this new complex against its intended benefits (listed in points form).

Benefits of the project

• The project seeks to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District.

With traffic diverted away from the "old"city central to the new "JB Sentral", I agreed that the traffic flow within the Johor Bahru Central Business District has indeed improved. I experienced it this morning. The used-to-be morning rush hour at the once busy JB business district seemed to have diminished. The once heavy traffic streets were rather quite this morning and I really wonder how businesses like the food businesses and money changers that were still very busy 2 days ago has suffered and perhaps survived eventually. [And the government was talking about caring and sustaining the livelihood of the businesses around there!].

Well, we just hope that this is not another classical example of the authority sacrificing the bulk to benefit the selective few privileged ones who "won" the tender to run similar food businesses and money changing services in the complex.

• Besides that, the regional road network will be enhanced by the linking of CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road. The project will also improve the transportation link between Johor Bahru and Singapore, which is urgently needed.This project would also attract Singaporean tourists to Johor Bahru and the rest of Johor because of the improved transportation link which increases convenience and decreases travelling time.

We strongly embrace the concept of easing the traffic and improving transportation link between the 2 countries. With our fingers crossed, we hope it will become a reality.... eventually.

However, the fact now is that motorists took 3 hours to pass through the "complex" Sultan Iskandar Complex yesterday, versus a maximum of an hour at the old custom and bus commuters returning from Singapore need to take 4 hours to pass through the new Sultan Iskandar Complex yesterday which were once never exceed 1 hour. [Hmm... and we were talking about boasting tourism by cutting travelling time]

• This project will also complement the country's aspiration of creating a premier and modern southern gateway to Malaysia and Asia.

Modernity doesn't mean massive structure with complexity.

What I learnt from my friends was that the road system within the complex is really complex and come with "less than perfect" signage [As if "perfection" is ever an aspiration to some responsible parties in Malaysia, I wonder]. It was observed that if a motorist once made a wrong turn, the motorist has no choice but to "reverse" and this lead to massive tailback traffic.

It also appeared to the public that the designing team from the Public Works Department for this complex are fans of roller coaster rides. Such "fun" elements were seen to be integrated into the road system within the complex - up the slope, down the slope and has sharp haphazard turns to test the driving skills of the motorists and users alike.

To demonstrate their patriotism to national cars, the designing team of this complex seemed to have used Perodua cars as benchmark for designing the width of the car lanes in the complex. Not to mention the genius thoughts to control the driving speed of the passing cars by converging all incoming vehicles lanes, both for cars and buses to only 2 small curving lanes leading to the booths...and exit through small lanes again... Bravo to the great brains behind the design. Fun over safety and lack of common sense, great!

• The Southern Integrated Gateway is expected to reduce air pollution of the Johor Bahru city area.

Road users of the complex think the complex is rather "enclosed" and ventilation seems to be lacking. Such condition is similar to Puduraya Bus Station in KL. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and whatever poisonous gases from the exhaust of the vehicles perfumed the air that is trapped in a poor ventilated enclosure.

We hope the authority does not embrace "ignorance" as an ultimate solution to all problems but notice such discrepancy and do something about it. After all, there are ten of thousands of motorcyclists, motorists and commuters using the complex daily and there are also workers who work there. Health of these people should not be discounted but have to be taken care of.

So, effort to divert and concentrating pollution from one area to another is not a way to reducing air pollution, duh! As the Chinese saying, "change the stock of the soup but not the medicine that boiled in it" means little functional change.

• A significant reduction in sea travelling time from the eastern part to the western part of the Straits of Johor and vice-versa will indirectly promote security control at the border. This benefit is doubtful at the present because the bridge project has been stopped

No comment. In actual fact, too political sensitive to comment.

Some of you may disagree with my critics and sarcasm above by you claiming that,

• Malaysian should be tolerant and understanding, which were known to be unique traits of Malaysians.
• Malaysians have to understand and give time for people in the government sector and government backed enterprises to improve, even though the learning process of these people could be painfully slow.
• It was just a day after the complex is fully operational. Moreover, this is not the first time taxpayers paid multi millions Government project gone imperfect. Hence, our expectation should not be set so high.
• In addition, not that we don't know that Malaysian government generally adopt causal approach to problem solving (recent example was the landslide tragedy at Bukit Antarabangsa that claims lifes and property damages) instead of preventive approach in the first place; all execpt matters that challenge the ruling party politically.
• Also, as government said before, when we are to compare to Zimbabwe, Malaysians should be proud of the progress of this country. So, it is always good to compare with less developed countries than Malaysia. It is pointless to compare with countries like Singapore, which is our close neighbour and already a developed country.

Speechless.....

In Remembrance

It was a breezy Thursday morning on 11.12.08 at JB. I was suddenly awaken by the loud annoying tone of my Nokia phone in the living hall.

Still half awaken, I checked the time of the clock next to my bed, it was around 5.30 in the morning. Suspecting it could be a crank call at such early wee hours, i decided to ignore it. Should there is an emergency call and it is related to work, my Nokia phone will sure ring again. So, I decide to go back to sleep. Somehow consciously, I also turned on my Sony Ericsson phone next to my bed; just in case if the emergency call is made by my family members.

Just seconds before i dose off, my Sony Ericsson phone rang. I quickly picked up the call when i saw the caller ID was my younger brother. With a sober voice, he told me that my grandma has passed away in the morning and I can hear faintly the sound of my mom's crying sadly at the background.

My granny died at the age of 86. She was first suspected to suffer from cancer in November 08 and had admitted to the hospital twice for pneumonia since. She died on the 3rd day after she was discharged from the hospital for her second pneumonia case.

According to the nurse in the nursing home, my grandma had died peacefully in bed. I confirmed her saying when i saw my granny in her coffin. She looked very peaceful and calm; showed no sign of final struggle from pain. She just looked as if she was in deep sleep and even had a faint smile on her face. I am pleased that she is finally free from human sufferings and attained peace.

It is uncommon for the Chinese to take photographs of funerals, I decided to go against the norm and document the event anyhow. Of course, my action has attracted some whispers from the crowd but I had my own reasons. I am a strong believer that we all should not live life to please others but to ourselves, as long as we are not hurting others.

To me, these final images are the least I can do to offer to our family members, especially those who are living abroad of some memories of the final stage of grandma's existence on earth.

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There are many different funeral rituals for the Chinese. Since granny is a Buddhist, we fulfilled her wish to follow the Buddhist way - which is very simple, calming, peaceful and no crying Drama! (unlike the Taoism way)

Burning incense as a sign of paying respect to our deceased granny.



Neighbours, relatives and family friends from near and afar gathered on the eve of the cremation to offer condolences and paying respects to the deceased. In Chinese, we called this ritual [ 坐夜], literally translated as "sitting through the night". In older days, the next of kins of the deceased have to take turns to accompany the death throughout the night. In these days of modern age, we are more practical, we sleep after calling a night off.

In line with Buddhism philosophy, only vegetarian foods were served. Omnivores and Carnivores were surely displeased :)

Sweet red bean soup with sago to sooth the sorrow hearts

The Chinese always prays and wishes for good health, wealth and longevity in life. Hence, although the official deceased age of my grandma was 86, we featured her Lunar age as 89 - additional 3 years (3 again is an auspicious number) as her age of death.

No offerings of animal origin are allowed. Only fruits, flowers, rice, vegetarian dishes, burning incenses and candles (now replaced by electrical lights) are placed on the altar of the deceased.

Having Buddha overlooking the body of the deceased is a symbolic sign that Buddha will guide the deceased to attain peace and the path to Nirvana (Heaven)

A view of grandma's altar behind the steel bars of the house's window.

Granny's final resting place is at the Garden of Remembrance - a memorial park. The memorial park has a website http://paradise-remembrance.com/ check it out if you wish.

Last praying ritual in the house before departing to the crematorium.

Close family members and relatives paying their last respect and prayer to grandma.

Prayer from a daughter to her mom

We come from a big family, some relatives had to offer their prayers outside the house.

Monk and a few volunteers from the Buddhist monetary /society chanting the mantra before loading the coffin into the hearse.

The tablet on the coffin will guide grandma's soul to her final resting place.

After loading the coffin into the hearse, another ritual took place - i.e. the parade.

The parade would take 10-15 minutes. Family members, who dressed in white and carrying the Chrysanthemum flowers would walk behind the hearse. Friends and neighbours would followed at the back of us.

These people who were carrying the banners are volunteers from the Buddhist monetary / society.

I have to say granny departed in style. The hearse that was used to carry her body was a Mercedes Benz wagon. The Parade caused some traffic congestion. The lorry even had to give way to us.

The eldest grandson would have to follow this hearse and carry the tablet to the crematorium later.

The rest of the parade contingent has to take the chartered bus.

The Buddhist and Taoist Chinese uses chrysanthemum in many form of prayers, whether in paying respects to the gods and deities and in funerals.

Unlike cemetery of the older days, the Garden of Remembrance is really a beautiful, clean and quite memorial park. Its surroundings is so well taken care off than most residential areas of the livings. Of course, the death don't litter and pollute!

Arriving at the crematorium. The location of my granny's final resting place is really out of the town. It was already late in the morning and almost noon when we reached there.

In older days, the coffin commonly used by the Chinese in Malaysia was 寿棺, or Longevity Coffin, which was carved out from whole tree trunk (see below). Such coffin is too expensive for the Chinese to afford these days. Moreover, the modern coffin above looks less eerie than the Longevity coffin below.

The Buddhist monk was about to perform the final ritual, before the cremation.

Placing incense on the coffin, and paying the last respect to grandma before the coffin entering into the furnace.

Dear Grandma, rest in peace. Your love and kindness will be remembered forever.

Love from,

Your grandchild